Graduated-release device for air-brakes



G. A. ANDERSON.

GRADUATED RELEASE DEVICE FOR AIR BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.1G,I920.

1,396,392. Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- INVENTOR G. A Anderson,

ATTORNEYS G. A. ANDERSON. GRADUATED RELEASE DEVICE FOR AIR BRAKES. APPLICATION FILED MAR- 16, 1920.

1,396,392. Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WITNESSES G. A. Anderson,

A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ALUS ANDERSON, OF SANTA RITA, NEW MEXICO, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-EIGHTH TO ROBERT T. TAPER, ONE-EIGHTH TO VICTOR H. WAC-GONER, AND ONE-EIGHTH TO \VALTER M. MERCER, ALL OF SANTA RITA, NEW MEXICO.

GRADUATED-RELEASE DEVICE FOR AIR-BRAKES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

Application filed March 16, 1920. Serial No. 366,405.

To all whom it may 0011 061%:

Be it known that I, Gnoncn A. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Santa Rita, in the county of Grant and State of New Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Graduated- Release Devices for Air-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to fluid pressure brakes, and more particularly to devices for graduating the release of the brakes, the primary object of my invention being the provision of a simple inexpensive arrangement whereby the brakes will be released in a graduated manner proportionate to the increase or building up of trainpipe pressure.

A further object is the provision of a device of this nature which may be readily applied in connection with standard fluid pressure brake equipment and will be readily accessible for purposes of adjustment and repair.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention and form a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the practical application of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section through the pressure chambers,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section through the valve and controlling spring casing, and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to these figures and particularly to Fig. 1, the brake cylinder indicated at 10, is supplied with pressure from the auxiliary reservoir 11, the latter of which is in connection with the train pipe 12 through the triple valve generally indicated at 13. The brake cylinder 10 exhausts through the auxiliary reservoir and the triple valve 13 and the exhaust port of the latter is in accordance with my invention connected by a pipe 11 with a valve generally indicated at 15 in the diagram and in turn controlled by opposing pressures within a casing 16 connected to the auxiliary reservoir 11 and to the train pipe 12.

Thus referring to Fig. 2, the casing 16 is divided 'into spaced apart axially alined pressure chambers 17 and 18 adjacent to its opposite end and is connected at one end by a nipple 19 with the auxiliary reservoir so as to place pressure chamber 17 in communication with the auxiliary reservoir through a check valve 20 located in the nipple 19 and opening toward pressure chamber 17 so it is obvious the latter will equal 1n pressure the maximum pressure of the auxiliary reservoir.

At its opposite end the casing 16 is connected by a pipe 21 to the train pipe 12, this latter pipe being without valves and being adapted to place the pressure chamber 18 in communication with, and subject to the varylng pressure of, the train pipe.

The lnner opposing walls of the pressure chambers 17 and 18 are constituted by diaphragms 22 and 23 rigidly connected at their centers to th opposite ends of a stem 24 arranged in the space between the pressure chambers and supporting a laterally project- 'ing bracket 25, the latter of which carries a threaded stem 26.

The pipe 1 1 leading from the exhaust port of the triple valve 13 is extended into the casing 16 and into the space between the pressure chambers 17 and 18 as most clearly seen in Fig. 2 and has at its end a cylindrical spring housing 27 in which a spring 28 acts at its inner end against a valve piece 29, the latter of which cooperates with the seat at the extremity of pipe 1% so as to control the escape of brake cylinder pressure in an adjustable manner regulated by the pressure of the spring 28.

One end of the spring housing 27 is open and into this open end the stem 26 projects axially of the housing and has a pair of nuts 30 and 31, the former of which receives the outer end of the spring 28 thereagainst, and the latter of which acts as a lock nut.

The valve 29 being located between the pressure cylinders, is thus protected by the casing 16 although readily accessible for adjustment of pressure of its controlling spring 28 through manipulation of the adjusting nuts 30 and 31 on the stem 26.

In operation when a service application of brakes is made, reduction in train pipe pressure caus s an automatic shitting oi the triple valve 13 to place the brake cylinder 10 in communication with the auxiliary reservoir 11, and when the engineers valve is moved to release, recharging position the triple valve shifts to exhaust position so that the pressure in the brake cylinder finds its way outwardly through the exhaust opening of the triple valve and thence to pipe ll. Final escape of the brake cylinder pressure is controlled through valve 29. pressure within the chamber 18 is materially decreased inasmuch as it is subject to the varying pressure of the train pipe and as a consequence its pressure being less than that of the pressure chamber 17, the diaphragms 22 and 23 will have shifted toward the chamber 18, moving the stem 24 in a' direction adapted to bring increased force to bear against the valve controlling spring 29, Thus at this time only such pressure can escape from the brake cylinder 10 that is capaable of overcoming this pressure of the controlling spring 28 and no further pressure can escape until pressure is built up in the train pipe 12 which being transmitted of course to the pressure chamber 18, gradually approaches the pressure of the chamber 18 and thus gradually shifts the diaphragms 22 and 23 back to the normal position shown in Fig. 2, during which movement the added pressure on the controlling spring 28 is gradually relieved. i

It is obvious thatthe arrangement I have described as constituting my invention may moving parts, and will be strong, durable be readily and easily applied to air brake systems, is of a simple eflectivenature unlikely to get out of order or require frequent adjustment or repair, involves few and effective in use.

I claim: y

1. In a fluid pressure brake, the combina-. tion with a train pipe, triple valve, auxiliary reservoir and brake cylinder, of a casing having a pair of pressure chambers, one of which is connected to and subject to varying pressure of, the train pipe, and'the other of which has a valved connection with the auxiliary reservoir, a member. movable under control of the relatively varying pressures in said chambers, a pipe extending from the exhaust port of the triple valve, a controlling valve for said pipe, a spring controlling said valve, and connections between said movable member and said spring t automatically vary the effective pressure of the spring. 1

2. In a fluid pressure brake, the combina tion with a train pipe, triple valve, auxiliary reservoir and brake cylinder, of a casing having a pair of pressure chambers, one of which is connected to and subject to varying pressure of, the train pipe, and the other of which has a valved connection with the auxiliary reservoir, a member movable under control of the relatively varying pressures in said chambers, a pipe extending from the exhaust port of the triple valve, a controlling valve for said pipe, a spring controlling said valve, and connections between said movable member and said spring to auto- At this time 7 matically vary the effective pressure of the spring, said last named connections having adjustable connection with the spring whereby the normal pressure of the latter may be controlled.

3. In a fluid pressure brake, the combination with a train pipe,triple valve, auxiliary reservoir, and brake cylinder, of a pipe leading from the exhaust'port of the triple valve, a spring controlled valve for controlling the escape of pressure through said pipe, a casing having a pair of pressure chambers one of which has valved connec tic-n with the auxiliary reservoir and the other of which is connected, and subject to varying pressures of, the train pipe, and movable means subject in the movement thereof to the relatively varying pressures in the said pressure chambers forautomatically varyingthe eflective pressure of'the spring of said controlling valveas described.

4. In a fluid brake pressure, the combination of a train pipe, triple valve, auxiliary reservoir, and brake cylinder, of a pipe leading from thee'xhaust port of the triple valve, a valve controlling, theescape of air from said pipe, means forming a pair of pressures of the said pressure chambers, tor

automatically varying the effective seating pressure of the said controlling valve.

5. In a fluid pressure brake, the combina tion of a train pipe, triple valve, auxiliary reservoir, and brake cylinder, of a pipe leading from the exhaust port of the triple valve, a valve controlling the escape of air from said pipe, means forming a pair of pressure chambers one of which has a valved connection with the auxiliary reservoir and the other of which is connected to and subject to the varying pressures of, the train pipe, and movable connections between and controlled by the relatively varying relative pressures of the said pressure chambers, for automatically varying the effective seating pressure of the said controlling valve, including manuallyadjustable means whereby the normal seating force of the valve may be controlled independent of the pressure chambers.

6. In a fluid pressure brake, the combination with a train pipe,triple valve, auxiliary reservoir and brake cylinder, of a casing having spaced apart pressure chambers in its opposite ends whose inner walls are in the natureof diaphragms, a post connecting the diaphragms and movabletherewith, said casing being connected at one end to the auxiliary reservoir and having a check valve opening toward one of its pressure chambers, a pipe connecting the opposite end of the casing with the train pipe to place the other pressure chamber in communication with and subject to the varying pressures of the said train pipe, a pipe leading from the exhaust port of the triple valve and extending into the casing between its chambers, a controlling valve normally seated in connection with said pipe, a spring engaging the valve, and means carried by the said post and movable therewith for engagement with and to control effective pressure of the said valve controlling spring.

7 In a fluid pressure brake, the combination with a train pipe, triple valve, auxiliary reservoir and brake cylinder, of a casing having spaced apart pressure chambers in its opposite ends whose inner walls are in the nature of diaphragms, a post connecting the diaphragms and movable therewith, said casing being connected at one end to the auxiliary reservoir and having a check valve opening toward one of its pressure chambers, a pipe connecting the opposite end of the casing with the train pipe to place the other pressure chamber in communication with and subject to the varying pressures of the said train pipe, a pipe leading from the exhaust port of the triple valve and extending into the casing between its chambers, a controlling valve normally seated in connection with said pipe, a spring engagin the valve, and means carried by the sai post and movable therewith for engagement with and to control effective pressure of the said valve controlling spring, said last named means including a bracket carried by the post and a stem supported by the bracket having spring engaging members adjustably threaded thereon.

GEORGE ALUS ANDERSON. 

